Legal and ethical issues in the inheritable genetic modification of humans

The aim of this interdisciplinary project is to investigate the legal and ethical implications of technologies that allow inheritable modifications of the human genome. The use of these technologies in human embryos is fast becoming an international reality, and this project aims to be the first to rigorously examine the implications of this in the Australian context. The intended outcomes of the Project are to clarify the current legal status of inheritable genetic modification technologies in Australia, provide a comprehensive analysis of the ethics of these new technologies, and, building on this, propose a set of recommendations for regulatory reform to guide Australia's response to international scientific and legal developments.